200 hospital benchmarks

With the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care, physicians and hospital executives have an increased interest in using comparative data as a tool to help improve quality of care. Healthcare is a data rich industry, and healthcare executives can use the comparative information to benchmark themselves against competitors as well as national leaders.

For the third year, Becker's Hospital Review has collected 200 benchmarks related to some of the most important day-to-day areas hospital executives oversee: quality, patient satisfaction, operations, utilization and finance.

Quality and process of care

Source: Hospital Compare, Department of Health & Human Services, Timely and Effective Care Measures - National Averages September 2013, the latest available data for these measures.

Hospital-acquired conditions

The following represent the average percentage of patients who experienced the conditions.

Who were given fibrinolytic medication within 30 minutes of arrival: 54 percentWho were given angioplasty within 90 minutes of arrival: 96 percent Who were given aspirin at discharge: 99 percentWho were given a prescription for a statin at discharge: 98 percentOutpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who got drugs to break up blood clots within 30 minutes of arrival: 58 percentOutpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who got aspirin within 24 hours of arrival: 96 percentAverage number of minutes before outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who needed specialized care were transferred to another hospital: 60 minutesAverage number of minutes before outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack got an ECG: 7 minutesMedian time to fibrinolysis: 28 minutes

Heart failure patients

Who were given discharge instructions: 94 percentWho were given an evaluation of left ventricular systolic function: 99 percentWho were given ACE inhibitor or ARB for left ventricular systolic dysfunction: 97 percent

Pneumonia patients

Whose initial emergency room blood culture was performed prior to the administration of the first hospital dose of antibiotics: 98 percentWho were given the most appropriate initial antibiotic(s): 95 percent

Surgery patients

Who were given an antibiotic within one hour before surgery to help prevent infection: 98 percentWhose preventive antibiotics were stopped within 24 hours after surgery: 98 percentWho got treatment within 24 hours before or after their surgery to help prevent blood clots after certain types of surgery: 98 percentWho were taking beta blockers before coming to the hospital and who were kept on the beta blockers during the period just before and after their surgery: 98 percentWho were given the appropriate kind of antibiotic to help prevent infection: 99 percentHeart surgery patients whose blood sugar is kept under control in the days right after surgery: 97 percentWhose urinary catheters were removed on the first or second day after surgery: 97 percentWho were actively warmed in the operating room or whose body temperate was near normal by the end of the surgery: 100 percentWhose physicians ordered treatments to prevent blood clots after certain types of surgeries: 98 percentOutpatients having surgery who got an antibiotic at the right time (within one hour before surgery): 98 percentOutpatients having surgery who got the right kind of antibiotic: 98 percent

Emergency department patients

Average time spent in the ED before patients were admitted to the hospital as an inpatient: 274 minutesAverage time patients spent in the ED after the physician decided to admit them as an inpatient but before leaving the ED for their inpatient room: 98 minutesAverage time patients spent in the ED before being sent home: 134 minutesAverage time patients spent in the ED before they were seen by a healthcare professional: 26 minutesAverage time patients who came to the ED with broken bones had to wait before receiving pain medication: 57 minutesPercentage of patients who came to the ED with stroke symptoms who received brain scan results within 45 minutes of arrival: 57 percent

Preventive care patients

Who were assessed and given flu vaccination: 90 percentWho were assessed and given pneumonia vaccination: 92 percent

Stroke patients

Who were evaluated for rehabilitation services: 97 percentWho received a prescription for medicine known to prevent complications caused by blood clots before discharge: 99 percentWho were given a prescription for a blood thinner at discharge: 95 percentWho got treatment to prevent blood clots on the day of or day after hospital admission or surgery: 85 percentWho got treatment to prevent blood clots on the day of or day after being admitted to the intensive care unit: 92 percent

Children's asthma patients

Who received reliever medication while hospitalized for asthma: 100 percentWho received systemic corticosteroid medication that reduces inflammation and controls symptoms while hospitalized for asthma: 100 percentAnd their caregivers who received a home management plan of care while hospitalized for asthma: 88 percent

Patients who gave the hospital a rating of nine or 10: 71 percentPatients who gave the hospital a rating of seven or eight: 21 percentPatients who gave the hospital a rating of six or lower: 8 percent

Patient recommendation

Patients who said, yes, they would definitely recommend the hospital to friends and family: 71 percentPatients who said, yes, they would probably recommend the hospital to friends and family: 24 percentPatients who said, no, they probably or definitely would not recommend the hospital to friends and family: 5 percent

Cleanliness

Patients who said their room and bathroom was "always" clean: 73 percentPatients who said their room and bathroom was "usually" clean: 19 percentPatients who said their room and bathroom was "sometimes" or "never" clean: 8 percent

Noise

Patients who said the area around their room was "always" quiet at night: 61 percentPatients who said the area around their room was "usually" quiet at night: 29 percentPatients who said the area around their room was "sometimes" or "never" quiet at night: 10 percent

Physician and nurse communication

Patients who said their nurses "always" communicated well: 79 percentPatients who said their nurses "usually" communicated well: 17 percentPatients who said their nurses "sometimes" or "never" communicated well: 4 percentPatients who said their physicians "always" communicated well: 82 percentPatients who said their physicians "usually" communicated well: 14 percentPatients who said their physicians "sometimes" or "never" communicated well: 4 percent

Pain control

Patients who said their pain was "always" well controlled: 71 percentPatients who said their pain was "usually" well controlled: 22 percentPatients who said their pain was "sometimes" or "never" well controlled: 7 percent

Staff explanations

Patients who said staff "always" explained medicines before administering: 64 percentPatients who said staff "usually" explained medicines before administering: 18 percentPatients who said staff "sometimes" or "never" explained medicines before administering: 18 percent

Staff help

Patients who said they "always" received help as soon as they wanted: 68 percentPatients who said they "usually" received help as soon as they wanted: 23 percentPatients who said they "sometimes" or "never" received help as soon as they wanted: 9 percent

Recovery information

Patients who said staff provided information about what to do during their recovery at home: 85 percentPatients who said staff did not provide information about what to do during their recovery at home: 15 percent

Hospitals with 6 to 24 beds: 93Hospitals with 25 to 49 beds: 169Hospitals with 50 to 99 beds: 274Hospitals with 100 to 199 beds: 615Hospitals with 200 to 299 beds: 1,148Hospitals with 300 to 399 beds: 1,703Hospitals with 400 to 499 beds: 2,447Hospitals with 500 or more beds: 4,660

Average part-time staff

Hospitals with 6 to 24 beds: 45Hospitals with 25 to 49 beds: 74Hospitals with 50 to 99 beds: 128Hospitals with 100 to 199 beds: 262Hospitals with 200 to 299 beds: 451Hospitals with 300 to 399 beds: 606Hospitals with 400 to 499 beds: 843Hospitals with 500 or more beds: 1,277

Hospitals with 6 to 24 beds: 427Hospitals with 25 to 49 beds: 947Hospitals with 50 to 99 beds: 2,115Hospitals with 100 to 199 beds: 5,850Hospitals with 200 to 299 beds: 11,049Hospitals with 300 to 399 beds: 16,263Hospitals with 400 to 499 beds: 20,984Hospitals with 500 or more beds: 33,953

Average inpatient surgeries per year

Hospitals with 6 to 24 beds: 89Hospitals with 25 to 49 beds: 198Hospitals with 50 to 99 beds: 501Hospitals with 100 to 199 beds: 1,528Hospitals with 200 to 299 beds: 3,033Hospitals with 300 to 399 beds: 4,326Hospitals with 400 to 499 beds: 6,018Hospitals with 500 or more beds: 10,442

Average outpatient surgeries per year

Hospitals with 6 to 24 beds: 619Hospitals with 25 to 49 beds: 963Hospitals with 50 to 99 beds: 1,580Hospitals with 100 to 199 beds: 3,381Hospitals with 200 to 299 beds: 5,200Hospitals with 300 to 399 beds: 6,953Hospitals with 400 to 499 beds: 8,834Hospitals with 500 or more beds: 14,273

Finance

Hospital adjusted expenses per inpatient day

Source: Kaiser State Health Facts, accessed 2014 and based on 2011 data.

The medians are based on an analysis of audited 2013 financial statements for 383 freestanding hospitals, single-state health systems and multi-state healthcare systems, representing 88 percent of all rated healthcare entities. Children's hospitals, hospitals for which five years of data are not available and certain specialty hospitals were not eligible to be included in the medians.

Source: American Hospital Association, "Schedule H Project Benchmark" Report, August 2014.Charity care includes total unreimbursed means-tested government programs and other benefits.

Total charity care as an average percent of total expenses

Small hospitals (less than $100 million in total expenses): 8.5 percent Medium hospitals ($100 million to $299 million in total expenses): 8.5 percent Large hospitals ($300 million or more in total expenses): 9.8 percent Systems (more than one licensed hospital): 9 percent